Electrostatic condenser



1,621,722 G. W. HAYDEN ELECTROSTATIC CONDENSER March 22 1927.

33a 54a Filed Julyl 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j stator /dzr A 7 TL L54 v7a fo Q *L .Il

. vr 21i 36 a j 24a jza Q @f A plate elements of another series.

These improvements have a valuable ap-- Patented Maru-I 19221.

"Unir-En STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

suenen w. naman, or om; rana, rumors.

v.unsc'rnos'ra'rrc odrmnnsnn.

Application led ,July 6, 1928. .Serial Ho. 120,555.

The present improvements relate more plate type -according to whichplate elements of one series an opposed plication in connection `withradio broadcasting and receiving instruments of various kinds. 'Eachradio receiving set is usually equipped with several electrostaticcondensers of the variable type and which aremanipulated to tune theseveral circuits. In view of the great number of transmitting stationswhich have come upon the air, and which, are daily being added, thediiculty of tuning the receiving` set to a given signal has become verypronounced and is constantly becoming more so, since most of the4transmitting stations respectively are on wave lengths or frequenciesvery close to one or several others.

The prime object of the present invention is to provide an electrostaticcondenser of unusual eiiiciency both with respect to its may be used. Itis anobject to provide adelicac or critical refinement of operation inadding or subtracting capacity and with f respect to the scope or rangeof frequencies (low to high) in .connectionwith which it variablecondenser according to which-the increment of condenser `effect -may atall stages be notably small with a given amount of rotor movement, andwhich, nevertheless,

' will provide a total capacity, capacitance or condenser eifect'aslarge as may be desired.

- It is an object to provide "a condenser of` the plate type havingstator and rotor' ele-` ments according -to- .which the rotor lelementsare moved through substantially three hundred and sixtydegrees develop.the vfull condenser eiects, as distinguished from the well-known platecondensers which provide ltheir -'ull condenser effects respectivelythrough a rotcrmovement of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees,and to provide a device having so large an amount of rotor movementwithout sacrificing condens- It is an important object-Ato .provideresults such as thel foregoing 1n a device whch fis of. simpleconstruction, which 'is strong exceedin' lyjyiine variations, o

and durable, not likely to get out of order,

and which for any given total capacity desired may be relatively smalland compact; l

and also to provide a construction` which ma formed cheaply andexpeditiously an assembled according to simple and welland also' tovprovide a construction which may easily be taken apart as occasion maysuggest, and which 'has appropriate features of adjustment for' thesuitable spacing .of the rotor and -stator elements.

Still other objects and advantages lwill ap ear hereinafter.

n my co-pending application Serial No.v

102,381, filed April 16, 1926, on variable condensers, I have shown adevice according to which there are two rotors instead of the yoneusually found in electrostatic condensers of this general type.According to that/device the condenser effects are develo d throueh amovement of rst one and tlieln the other of the rotors into the stator,and

on the reverse movement first one and then l the other rotor iswithdrawn from overla ping relation with plates of the stator, t lerotors being so associated operatively .with

each other that a finger-piece connected di- {rectly with the operatingshaft moves continuously in one direction through substantially threehundred sint-yl degrees,v whether that direction be Jfor intermeshingthe plates or 'for separatin them. The constructionof that device isurther such that the second plates, whereby4 the irstvrotorr' toenterthe stator 'may' have 'a smaller' number Aof plates than those ofthe other 'rotor,'or such' first- `series of rotor plates to overla,stator v plates is the irst'to emerge from t e stator entering statorplates may "he yreducedin" area, either as a whole or successively, tothe 4" l `'etect that a notably small amount of cm1.

denser effect may be developed in the initial I increment movements,v'with the :further ad'- .vantage that these initial movements 'may 'abe carried'through substantially one: hundred-and eighty degrees, thusproviding forv capacitance throughout the shorter-wave lengths in radioof eapacityeifect as-l afwhole may he developedthrou'gh verysmall andgradual in- 'crements in asubstantially'small and compact device.. 21.

practice, .while an' unusually large amount: 'l

Inthe presentl improvementsi`numerous, A.

characteristics of the device of my said copending application arepresent; for instance` thc rotation of a direct-connected finger-piecethrough substantially three hundred and sixty degrees to develop thefull condenser effects, and in the provision of three series ofcondenser plates. There are also present here similar tensioning meansfor providing that one series of' plates shall move at a given timewhile another series is restrained from ni'o'vement.

lt will assist the understanding of the following detailed descriptionto mention at this place some of the peculiar characteristics of the.present device. For instance, the series which I will call the rotor isfirst turned through substantially one hundred and eighty degrees intooverlapping relation with the series which I shall describe as thestator-rotor, leaving someo't' the stator-rotor plates unoccupied hyrotor plates; the stator-rotor then being turned through substantiallyone hundred and eighty degrees whereby such unoccupied stator-rotorplates intermesh with statorplates, 'the rotor plates continuing toremain in intermeshing relation with statorrotor plates. On the reversemovement of the shaft one series of the intel-meshing plates comes outof such relation, followed by the other. In one of the forms here shownthe last series to enter is the last to emerge. while in the other andpreferred form the last series to enter is the first to emerge.

According to the structures illustrated herein the stator-rotor platesare carried by a frame revoluble on the common axis. The rotor platesare first turned into mesh with some stator-rotor plates, and acontinued movement of the shaft then carries the entire fram-e around tobring other stator-rotor plates into mesh or overlap with the relativelyfixed or stator plates.

Turning to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through one formof the device as on they line 1 1 of' Fig. 2 viewed in the direction ofthe arrows; Fig. 2 is a sectional view as on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 but showing changed positionsof parts; Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top view designed to show the coactionof certain stop members earried by the frame; Fig. 5 is a medialvertical section of' a modified form of structure as on the line 5 5 ofFig. 2; Fig. (i is a section on the line (i-( of Fig. 5 in thevdirection of' the arrows; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. t3, showingchanged positions of parts; and Fig. 8 is a detail showing the motivepower spring and its connections.

Turning to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the device illustrated is shown ascomprising a frame having two triangular end pieces of insulatingmaterial 10 and 11, for instance hard rubber, connected by. two uppermetallic posts 12 and a lowermetallic post 130, these posts having nutsthereon holding thel parts rigidly together. The shaft 125 extendsthrough a substantially large opening in each of the frame walls 10 and11 and is mounted at its outer end in a bearing plate 14 secured as byscrews to the insulating wall 1t), there being a washer 15 and anadjustable collar 16 limiting the movement of the shaft in onelongitudinal direction. f

The shaft 13 is held in its normal posi-` tion by a bearing in the formof a sleeve 17 encompassing the shaft with anice yfit and;` held in arelatively fixed position by a plate 18 into which the sleeve 17 istightly threaded, the plate 18 being held as by screws upon thepanel-board 19. An adjustable collar 2() bearing against the supportingplate 18 limits the longitudinal movement of the shaftl in theldirection opposite to that limited by the collar 16. A finger-piece 21and dial-22 secured directly upon the shaft 15 provide-. means forrotating the shaft, with the sleeve 17 acting as the main support andbearingtherefor.

The frame of the device is carried at its inner end by a bearing member23 held as by screws upon the fraine wall 11, the bearing sleeve 17passing through this plate 23. Since the frame is carried at one end bythe bearing plate 15 directly upon the shaft 13, and at its other end bythe bearing plate 23 turning upon a fixed sleeve 17, it is clear thatthe frame may rotate on the axis pf the shaft. y I

The tensioning spring 24 has'its free ends bearing upon the smoothsurface of the insulating frame wall 11. It is held in a` given positionof spring adjustment by the collar 25 held by a set screw 25a, therebeing-a pin Q6 holding the spring 24 fixed with respect to the collar2a. The set screw in the collar 25 sleeve 17 and since this sleeve isrelativelyY fixed and nonrotatable it is evident that the spring Q1 isalso a relatively fixed member. The frame part 11, however, isrotatable, as stated, and when this frame part 11 turns on its axis itmoves frictionally upon the tensioning spring 24.

A sleeve 30 similar to the sleeve 17 is mounted on the shaft 13, the setscrew 31 holding it firmly upon the shaft. The sleeve 30 abuts thesleeve 17 at the dotted line 32.

A plurality of stator plates S are affixed to the supporting sleeve 17in any approved way, as by soldering. Rotor plates R are secured, as bysoldering, to the sleeve 13. These stator and rotor plates are obviouslyin electrical communication with each other, being mounted on the sameshaft. 1f an electrical connector as 33 be secured as by the screw 34 tothe extension 18EL of the supporting plate 18 the stator and the rotorholds this collar upon the supporting' loo plates will allsimultaneously be placed in communication with the side of the circuitindicated by the conductor 33.

The stator-rotor plates S-R are arried' by the frame on the bolts 12 andare suttieient in number' and soy spaced apart as to accommodate in theusual intermeshing relation a series of rotor plates and stator plates,the intermeshing plates being spaced apart to provide an' air-dielectricbetween opposed surfaces. Figs. 2 and 3 show that these plates S-R areseverally provided with ears through which the bolts 12 extend. ln Fig.l spacing collars are shown between these plates, and it is to beunderstood that the plates are soldered to their supporting means so asto place them all in good electrical communication with at least one ofthe rods 12. One of these rods 1Q carries a conductor 36 so directedthat the screw 37 therein may be substantially on the axis of the shaftwhereby a pig-tai 38 leading current to the stator-rotor may receivesubstantially only torsional movement through the turning of the frame.

lt is thus clear that the stator-rotor is in one side of the circuitwhile the rotor and the stator are in the opposite side thereof, andthat the condenser etiects are had through the intermeshing of rotor andstator plates with the plates of the stator-rotor.

As the device is illustrated in Fig. 1, the plates are entirely out ofmesh. Assuming that the finger-wheel 2l is turned in the clockwisedirection in Fig. l, the movements of the rotor as viewed in Fig. E2will be anticlockwise, since in that figure we are viewing the devicefrom the rear, that is, toward the finger-wheel. 'lurning to Fig. 2,then, this anti-clockwise movement of the rotor first carries it intoits dotted-line position .;hownin Fig. 2. which kind of movement.continues through substantially one hundred and eighty degrees and untilthe rotor strikes the stop 4t). lhis one-hundred-alul-eightvdegreeposition-of the rotor is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. At such timethe rotor is entirely' in mesh with the statorrotor. and since. therotor and the statorrotor are in opposite sides ot. the circuit,condenser eti`eets haveV been developed through all stages of themovement.

Now. with the rotor contacting stop 40 carried by the frame. if theshaft 13 be turned further in the same advancing direction. the framewill be pushed around on its axis againat the tension of the spring 24,and this movement may be continued substantially one hundred and eightydegrees, and to such ett'ect that plates ot' the statorrotor notoccupied by plates et the rotor will be carried into overlappingrelation with the stator plates.

Fig. 3 shows by dotted lines how the frame has been turned upside downby such onchundred-and-eighty-degrce movement, and with the frame in itsdotted line position in Fig. 3 the rotor and stator-rotor have movedinto a position corresponding to that of the tixcd stator. ln otherwords. all ofthe plates are below the axis in the dotted line positionof Fig. 3. At the beginning the stator was above the axis and the othertwo series were below. Then the rotor was moved above the axis, and thenthe stator and the rotor were simultaneously7 moved below. In thatposition the rotor has traveled through substantially three hundred andsixty degrees and thc stator-rotor has traveled one hundred and eightydegrees.

A counter-weight 'W Aarried by the frame is located opposite thestator-rotor plates.

()n the reverse movement of the dial tbeing in the anti-clockwisedirection in Fig. l and in t-he clockwise direction in Figs. 2 and B)since the frame is frictionally held by the. tension spring 24, thetirst reverse movements will carry the rotor plate out. of mesh withstator-rotor plates, and this movement will .continue throughsubstantially one hundred and eighty degrees and until the rotorcontacts stop carried by the frame, whereupon a continued reversemovement of the finger-piece carries the frame around also until it hastraveled through one hundred vand eighty degrees, leaving the parts intheir relative positions shown by full lines in Fig. 2. Y

lt is to be observed that according to this construction the plates lastto become intermeshed are the ones last to come ont of such intermeshingrelation. lVhere the stator plates and the rotor plates are equal innumber and are of substantially the same shape and size and thestator-rotor is also formed so that the condenser et'tects aresubstantially the same with respect to the intermeshing of either therotor or the stator plates therewith. this construction just describedwill be satisfactory. Under such cont'litions. however. as where it isdesired to have a more gradual relative increment of capacity eteets inthe earlier stages the present construction would result in such gradualincrementbut without thc corrollary requirement of a correspondinglygradual decrement over the range of the lower wave lengths on thereverse movement. In order to provide for the last mentioned results Ihave shown a device in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive which. as to the mainstructural parts, is in all substantial respects like the device of Fig.l.

Turning to Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive. certain details of construction arenumbered incorrespondence with the similar parts of Figs.

l to 4 inclusive, but to distinguish these pars the reference charactershave a small a added thereto, and the main construction will not beagain specifically described. It will be noted that as the device ofFig. 5 is illustrated the frame is turned around, whereby l the`stator-rotor platesare at the bottom instead o-at the top aszin Fig. 1.Since the stator, the rotor, and the-stator-rotor elements are so markedin the drawings, it

will be unnecessary further to identify them in the followingdescription.

In Fig. it will be-noted that there is a spring Washer held in anypreferred degree of tension by the collar 16". This pro-4 vides that therotor .carried by the shaft has a small amount of frictional resistance.

After the rotor has been turned onev hundredl and eighty degrees intothe stator-rotor and vthe movement is continued the stator-rotor iscarried around'against spring tension provided by the'spring 24, as inthe device, of- Fig. 1'. 'The coil spring 52 ,(Fig. 8) has its outer endsecured to the bearing member-23a while its inner end-fissecured tothesupporting sleeve 17a., Astne frame moves around in the clockwise*direction the motive powerspring 52 .is put under tension. vThis tensionis not sufficient, however, to-move the frame in thel reverse directionwhen held by lthe combined tension of `the spring washer` l50 and thetension spring 24EL butis suliiclent to move it in the reverse directionunder-the tension of the spring 24a alone. Vhen theA 'I 'igdtor isturned back bv hand, thusrelleving dome of 'the tension holdingl the,frame, the

motive power spring 52 causestheframe to moveback, so that as fast asthe rotor 1s'- ,turned back thev frame holding 'the'staftorJ rotorpla-tesiollows along, -all tothe result 'that-on the reverse movementofthe shaft the rotor and the 'stator-rotor simultaneously move-,throughone hundred vand 'eighty de-4 grees, andto 'such electalso that' the,last: an

Series of plates to become interineshed is the 'ft series to be broughtoutof intermeshing V relation. a

- Distinguishiiig between the operative steps of thedevice-'of Fig; 1-and-thatvof Fig. 5 it pointed outI that in the device of Fig.

1. the rotor turns 'into-the stator-rotor and then-'the stator-rotor andthe :rotor as a colnbincdV unit-.are movedl another one hundred;

and eighty degrees to bring plates of one of v 'these combined .units ormembers into inter-'- 'meshing relation with stator plates, vthe lat-vter one-hundred-and-eighty-degree movement being against the yieldingresistance ofthe tensioning spring 24, and that on the reverse'.movement, since the trame-is so ten-' sioned and held, the rotor firstvcomes out 'of' intermesh with the stator-rotor and-then thestator-rotor. is moved inf the reverse direction. In the device of Fig.'the rotor. simi-jf' larly turns intorthe stator-rotor-through aymovement of one hundred and 'eightyde-` Igrees and then thestator-rotorismoved, but

during this latter movement the coiled spring 52 is put under tension,the combined holdingr resistance of the'spring washer 50 -1,621,7SIQ

and' the tension spring 2 i1beii1g suiiicient to hold the parts in anygiven position-of l l adjustment, while on the reverse movement (theoperator relieving thevtension produced by the spring washer 50) theframe carrying the spring 52 as rapidly or as slow y as the operatorturns the tinger-piece in the reverse -I direction and until -thereverse movement I' Thereupon the move-.l d ment of the stator-rotor isstopped, and the has gone through substantially one hundred and eightydegrees.

continued reverse movement carries the rotor washer 50 is so materiallygreat as to hol the rotor and the stator-rotor members against-reversemovement tending to be intion ofthe tension of the spring washer. 50 thetension of the spring 24;a maybe considered nil.i 'l.`heconstructionshown in Fig. 5

illustrates how through the addition o'a rotative motive-power spring,such as 52 for instance,the general constructionof Fig. 1

may be modified tobring about a change in the order of plate movementswhenY the direction of *hand operation is reversed.` The spring washer50 was added in the device of Fig.' 5 largely as a matter of conveniencein making ready adjustments, and to insure sufficient resistance to vtherotor movements to render'the adjustment ofthe spring 24 .duced by thecoil spring 50, in which concepl less critical. Since then. the.construction shown vin Fig. 5- thus illustrates howone yielding'resistance may be suiiieient, the ap-` pended claims, where suchfeature'is referred to, should not be limited to two yield-lingresistances unless specifically so :indif vcatedv in a particular claimor claims.-

I am aware of various changes, de artures and modifications which may bema e in the` construction and arrangement of parts With-2 in the spiritof the' improvements thus set Y forth, and-I contemplate as beingincluded f .herein all-'such changes, modifications, 4de- Partures andvariations-from what is Specifically herein illustrated and describedzasfall E. within the'scope of the appended claims. j'

Iclaim:

1.111" an electiostatc4 condenser"v bf the character described, thecombination` of a.

stator, aj rotor member-,anda 'stator-rotor y member,' each of saidmembers and said stator. comprising a plurality of jplates side by sideand spacedapart, the rotor member and the stator-rotor memberbeing-mounted ist.

70 thestator-rotor moves back -in res onse t0 j `i litt termeshingrelation `with one of said inein-` bers, and means for rotatably movingtirst one of said members to bring plates thereof into overlapped andspaced relation with plates of the other thereof and then forsimultaneously rotatably moving both of said members to bring plates ofone thereof into overlapped and spaced relation to stator plates. l

:2. The combination of claim l hereof in which there are means forholding one, ot Said members yieldingly while tbe other thereof is beingmoved relative thereto.'

5%. The combination of claim l hereof in which one of said members isheld yieldingly by a spring tensioningr device while the other thereotlis being moved relatively thereto.

4, The combination of claim l hereof in which the stator-rotor member isheld yieldingy against movement while the rotor member is being movedrelative thereto, and in lwhich there are interengaging means betweenthe, rotor member and the stator-rotor member for communicating,rrotative motion from the rotor member to the stator-rotor member.

The combination of claim 1 hereof in which the arrangement is such thatthe rotor member moves through substantially7 one hundred and eightydegrees into intermeshng relation with the stator-rotor member and thestator-rotor member and the rotor 'neinber move as a combined unitthrough# and in which the arrangement is such that the rotor must bemovedL substantially one hundred and eighty de'frees to bring' itsplates fully into intcrmesning relation with stator 'otor plat and. withinterengaging means between said two members for coinnmnicating rotativemovement from the rotor member to the stator-rotor member at 'the end ofsuch substantially onebnndred aml-oighty-degrce movement, and whereinthe rotor and the stator-rotor members as a combined unit must be movedsubstantially one hundred and eighty degrees to bring plates of one ofsaid members fully into internieshing relation with stator plates.

7, lin an electrostatic condenser of the character described, thecombination of a stator, a rotor member, and a stator-rotor member, eachof said members and said stator comprising a plurality of plates side byside and spaced apart, a rotatably mounted n' the frame.

.shaft on which the rotor member is mounted to turn with the shaft, thestator-rotor inember being mounted on the axis of said shaft forrotative inoven'ient and for intermeshing relation with the rotormember, the stator being mounted to have intermeshing relation with oneof said members, tensioning means for holding the stator-rotor memberyieldingly, andmeans including means for rotatably moving said shaft formoving i'otoiplates first into interineshing relation with stator-rotorplates and for then rotatably movingr both of said members as a unit tobring plates of one thereof into interineshed relation with statorplates.

8. ln an electrostatic condenser of the character described, the.combination of a stator, a rotor member and a stator-rotor memberrespectively mounted whereby rotor plates may be intermeshed withstator-1'0- ter plat-es and the rotor and stator-rotor may be turned asa unit 'to overlap plates of one.

of said members with stator plates, handoperable means for turning therotor and stator-rotor members in one direction, spring means adapted tobe placed under rotative tension through the unitary 'movement of therotor and stator-rotor members when moved by hand in such direction, andmeans providing yielding resistance to the hand-operable means adaptedto hold the stator-rotor in any one of its normal relative positionsagainst the rotative action of said spring means. said resistance beingsuch that when the hand-operable means are turned by hand in the reversedirection and said resistance is relieved thereby said spring means willmove the stator-rotor member in the reverse direction.

9. In an electrostatic condenser of the character described having atleast three series of plates and hand-operable means for moving oneseries into another series and for then moving both said series wherebyplates of one of them will move into overlapped relation with plates ofthe third series, the combination therewith ot' spring means for movingone of said series out of overlapped relation when the hand-operablemeans are turned in the reverse direction. together with means providinga lyieldingr resistance adapted to hold said spring-movable series in algiven relative position except when said resistance is relieved bymoving the hand-operable means in the reverse direction.

l0. rl`he combination of claim 9 hereof in which said three series ofplatesare mounted on a common axis.

l1. rlhe combination of claim 9 hereof in which one of said series is arotor, another is a stator-rotor and the third is a stator, all mountedon a common axis.

12. The combination of claim 9 hereof` in which said yielding-resistancemeans are adjustable to vary the resistance thereof.

13. The combination ot' chiini J hereof in is :l shaft on whivh saidrotor is mounted lo which one of said series is mounted in uv roturnwith the shaft', another of said series tzitably-niounted frzuno and theother two being u stzit0r-1otor mounted in a traino, lo series aremounted 0n the axis of rotation ot Suid fruino heilig mounted to turn onthe 5 the frame. v axis of said shaft, the third series heinl .-1

14. The combination of claim 9 hereof in stator also mounted on the axisot' said shaft. which one of said series is a rotor and there GEORGE XV.HAYDFN.

